Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a method of controlling the same, and a storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus, which attaches a toner or ink cartridge including a storage medium (hereinafter referred to as a memory tag), and every time consumables such as the ink or toner are consumed, records history information which includes the consumption amount, the number of printed sheets, and the like to the memory tag is known. With this, the remaining amount of consumables in the cartridges can be estimated with precision by handing over the information when the cartridges are attached to another image forming apparatus. Additionally, an image forming apparatus which records toner replacement results by holding results of printing by the cartridge, the replacement date/time, a serial number (ID) of the cartridge or the like to a storage area of the image forming apparatus at a time of an attachment or a replacement of a cartridge is also known (Japanese Patent No. 4985040 for example).
There are cases in which, other than a predetermined cartridges (for example, genuine cartridges that the manufacturer of an image forming apparatus provides), other type of cartridge (for example, a cartridge that another company provides) is attached in the image forming apparatus. However, consumables included in a cartridge of another company are not limited to necessarily having the same characteristics as consumables included within the genuine cartridge. For this reason, there exist cases in which differences in color development or color reproducibility arise if the cartridge of another company is used compared to if the genuine cartridge is used.
It is considered that in accordance with storing in the main body of the image forming apparatus a replacement history of cartridges attached to the image forming apparatus as a consumables log and printing the consumables log, the consumables log will be used in an analysis of the cause of a problem when one occurs. However, communication between the cartridge and the main body can incidentally fail in cases when a contact portion which connects between the image forming apparatus and the cartridge is dirty and in cases of contact failure. Also, communication failing between the cartridge and the main body due to a difference in communication timing or the like when the cartridge of another company has a memory tag which is different from what is employed in the genuine cartridge attached thereto is envisioned. Also, there exist cartridges of other companies which do not include a memory tag. In such cases, communication between the image forming apparatus and the cartridge will inevitably fail. If a communication error between the image forming apparatus and the cartridge occurs, it cannot be distinguished whether it is an incidental communication error caused by a contact defect or the like or an inevitable communication error caused by the non-existence of a memory tag. For this reason, there is a problem in that when a problem relating to the cartridge is investigated, it is unknown which cartridge the image forming apparatus was using, and it is impossible to sufficiently handle such a problem.